NOV 9 2020
By Hannah Lee, Director of Community Engagement
Over the weekend, the Associated Press announced that Joe Biden is the winner of the U.S. presidential election. What will a Biden Presidency mean for the US refugee resettlement program?
Here are 2 important impacts expected to happen under a new administration in 2021:
1. The Restoration of the Refugee Resettlement Program.
As a part of Biden’s campaign, he pledged to raise the number of refugee admissions through the resettlement program back to historic levels, with an ambitious goal of 125,000 refugees admitted each year. Since the 1980s, an average of 95,000 refugees have been admitted annually through the rigorous resettlement process, with the highest admittance during the Reagan years. Under the current administration, refugee admissions has steadily dropped to new historic lows with each passing year. In fiscal year (FY) 2019, the cap was set at just 22,000, the lowest cap since the program began in 1980. Despite the growing number of displaced peoples around the globe, the cap for FY21 was set the lowest yet at an unprecedented 15,000. The Biden campaign has committed to restoring the resettlement program to the nation’s long held tradition of welcoming 95,000+ refugees each year.
2. Increased protection for the U.S. Asylum Program.
In the US, it is legal for anyone to seek asylum. Unfortunately, many of the current administration’s policies have made seeking asylum nearly impossible and even dangerous for many who are in dire need of refuge by severely restricting access to asylum. Various policies under the current administration would make it nearly impossible for victims of gang and domestic violence to receive asylum, and would limit individuals in LGBTQ+ community to apply for asylum despite being an especially vulnerable group in many parts of the world. The Biden campaign has promised to end these harmful policies and restore the US asylum laws back to their original purpose of protecting some of the most vulnerable people in the world.
What is next?
Over the next several months, the refugee resettlement infrastructure will need to be rebuilt as the program is restored to standard operations. As the program is restored, the United States will continue to uphold the resettlement program’s rigorous vetting process, health screenings, and quality commitment to the refugee resettlement program.
We do not know quite yet what our future program will look like here in Arkansas, but we are eager to continue working alongside our compassionate community as we welcome refugees home!
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